NFL Mock Draft 5.0: Arizona Cardinals swap with Las Vegas, New England
By Sion Fawkes
Yes, you read this one right. The Arizona Cardinals will trade down not once, but twice, with the Las Vegas Raiders and the New England Patriots.
The NFL Draft comes with an “expect the unexpected” label, because virtually anything can happen. And in this scenario, the Arizona Cardinals accumulate some much-needed picks with two trades.
The downside? No Will Anderson Jr. The upside? You can expect the Cardinals to get younger quickly as these trades could bring in a horde of talent if general manager Monti Ossenfort calls the right names.
So, who will the Cards land when they trade down to the seventh, and then to the fourteenth pick in this scenario? Keep reading for more.
Arizona Cardinals trade down twice, land…
1 - Carolina Panthers: C.J. Stroud, QB/Ohio State
Despite Anthony Richardson’s awesome pro day, the Carolina Panthers go with Ohio State’s C.J. Stroud with the first overall pick. Look for Stroud to either win the starting job in training camp, or sometime during the season if Carolina’s out of it early.
2 - Houston Texans: Bryce Young, QB/Alabama
The talent-devoid Houston Texans need a new face to become synonymous with the franchise, and Bryce Young can deliver. Will he enter the summer as the projected starter?
3 - Las Vegas Raiders: Anthony Richardson, QB/Florida
You’ve seen this drill before, so the Las Vegas Raiders swap the seventh pick, the 38th overall pick, and the 70th pick to move up to select Anthony Ricardson. This will give the Arizona Cardinals six picks in the Top 100. But they aren’t finished just yet.
4 - Indianapolis Colts: Will Levis, QB/Kentucky
Of all four quarterbacks in the 2023 Draft Class, the kid from the mid-major SEC school could be the most NFL-ready. Sure, he has raw numbers, but Will Levis has experience in playing NFL talent on a near-weekly basis with a less-than-ideal team around him.
5 - Seattle Seahawks: Jalen Carter, DT/Georgia
There’s a reason defensive tackle Jalen Carter isn’t interested in talking to teams picking lower than tenth. Someone is seriously considering the prospect, and it’s tough to fathom a better place for him than Seattle, where he will play under the legendary Pete Carroll.